


Blue to Red

by lemonysharkbait



Category: 19天 - Old先 | 19 Days - Old Xian
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Enemies to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:49:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23471989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonysharkbait/pseuds/lemonysharkbait
Summary: Prince pitted against Prince. Mo Guan Shan, the heir of the land of Aries is the prisoner to the Prince of Scorpio, He Tian. Enemies to lovers in a fantasy AU setting.
Relationships: He Tian/Mo Guanshan (19 Days)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 125





	1. Chapter 1

Guan Shan hated him. The crown prince of the lands of Scorpio, second son in line to the throne and keeper of the coin: He Tian. And now he sat here, across from the man he despised, as his political prisoner.

His captor’s eyes glinted like the dark depths of the sea far below the cliffside stronghold and he smiled an infuriatingly fake smile. Guan Shan wanted to punch those shiny white teeth out. He Tian offered him wine. 

It was a plan so like secretive Scorpios, the house that kept it’s affairs deliberately vague. It was too clean by a half. Keep the prince of Aries locked away in the strongholds of Scorpio and watch Capricorn continue their climb, trampling everything in their path. 

Guan Shan glowered at his captor and refused the offered wine. 

“We could go for a walk through the cliff gardens today.”

_ Can I push you off the cliff?  _ Guan Shan had made it abundantly clear that he understood his position and was waiting for any chance to escape this hellish place. And for whatever infuriating reason, He Tain wouldn’t drop the charade of treating Guan Shan like an exalted guest. He Tian accompanied Guan Shan everywhere, fed him well and offered entertainments of all kinds.

Guan Shan forked a piece of roast meat with a little more effort than was necessary, choosing not to make eye contact with those inky-dark eyes. 

He Tian sighed, tossing a napkin to the side. “I’ve given you every comfort and dignity and yet you’re stubborn as a Taurus.”

Guan Shan stabbed another piece of meat.

“You sulk and refuse to negotiate. You even refuse to apologise for your house’s destruction of hundreds of Scorpio’s merchant ships.” 

There was a clatter as Guan Shan threw his fork down. His skin started to prickle and singe with the heat of fire and a thin layer of wisping flames covered his arms. 

He Tian continued. “Yes, make a rash decision my little Aries pet.” The word rankled Guan Shan. “It’s mercy you’re here under my protection and not my brother’s or father’s. Your house’s actions are reason enough to take your head.”

The words had their desired effect. Guan Shan stood abruptly, his flames leaping. The ever-present guards at his back tensed. “Why don’t you just do it already?” The words were harsh and pitched low in his native tongue. 

He Tian cooly cut off another piece of meat, popped it into his mouth and chewed, savoring the taste. “It would be in bad taste to do so before we have the backing of the council.” 

Damn the council and damn this place. Guan Shan planned to be long gone before the next house council meeting. “I’m not going out to the gardens to be stared at like some exotic pet.”

He Tian snorted “I don’t have you on a leash. Believe me, you’d know if you were a pet.”

Guan Shan flushed. He always lost these exchanges with He Tian. He didn’t have a mind for deception and pretty phrases. “That’s not, I wasn’t saying–” 

“Of course not, you made your stance very clear the first night we met.”

A memory of He Tian pressed close and running possessive hands over the planes of Guan Shan’s body burst through his mind. 

“Why would I  _ fuck you _ ?”

He Tian leveled a look that said Guan Shan wasn’t the one who would do the fucking. “We’re of the same rank and distractions are far and few between.” He Tian’s tone was arrogantly sure.  _ You have nothing to do and you’re pretty. Why wouldn’t you want me in your bed? _

Guan Shan turned from the table with a sound of disgust and stomped out. The guards followed him like ever-present shadows. 

Back in He Tian’s quarters he took up his usual game of cards with Brother Qui. They were both fire-born. It had surprised Guan Shan to see someone from the House of Leo working in a such a high rank in the House of Scorpio. 

“Ready to lose again old man.” He shuffled the cards and dealt them out. A seagull call rang outside the window. The air was always a little damp and chill. Guan Shan chafed against the long flowing layers of robes he had been given to wear, clothes in the Scorpio style. The colors were deeply intense in a muted way and the layers rolled and shifted like the water-born’s fighting style. He ached for his own Aries clothes, tunics that stopped at the calf and the shoulder allowing for easy movement and keeping cool in the summertime heat. He wondered if there ever was summertime heat on this cursed cliff.

Qui was passive and they played in comfortable silence for a time. Guan Shan was losing badly but didn’t mind, he was gambling with money pilfered from He Tian’s drawers. He couldn’t fathom why he stayed in the prince’s quarters and not locked away in some other room or deep in the dungeon. It hardly mattered though, He Tian was almost never in his room. He barely slept and Guan Shan usually had the large, immaculate quarters to himself. 

“You shouldn’t provoke the prince.” 

Guan Shan scowled at his cards. “Is he your prince?”

“He is now. Him and his brother.” 

“He wants to take my head off.” 

“Your fate will be decided by the council.” 

Guan Shan threw the cards down “Then why am I here? He has no proof that I burnt his precious merchant ships.” 

“I don’t pretend to know the prince’s plans.” 

Guan Shan stood abruptly. He didn’t want to talk about the damn prince. “I’m going to the practice ring.”

Everything in the here seemed to be inside. Practice rings in Aries were open to the air and floored with packed dirt. The main practice ring in the Scorpio keep was tiled on the walls and surrounded by water. Carefully treated wood made up the floor and soft light came from moonstones set throughout the tiled walls. It made Guan Shan feel like he was in a cavern and he didn’t like it. He liked it even less when he rounded the corner and saw He Tian. Guan Shan turned on his heel but it was too late, the scorpion saw.

“My little ram, why don’t you join me?” The voice was drippingly sweet. Guan Shan knew better than to trust it.

“I don’t want to train next to you.” He turned to leave again when He Tian said: “A friendly spar then.” 

Guan Shan stopped in his tracks. He had been itching to fight the prince since he’d been taken here. “You want to fight me?” It was more a statement than a question.

“Unless you’re afraid of getting wet.”

Guan Shan stalked forward. This pretentious prince didn’t know what he was asking for. His control over water might help him navigate the seas and heal wounds but everyone knew the water houses were wet sops. Their strength came from the sea’s depths. In a real fight, He Tian had no chance. The only reason Guan Shan hadn’t fought his way out of this place was the sheer amount of armed guards he’d have to fight through. 

He Tian looked cool and comfortable, not primed for a fight. This would be quick. Guan Shan pushed the top layers of his robes off so that they hung around his waist and his chest was bare. The robes hung low around his ankles, lower than he’d want to wear for a fight but there was nothing he could do about that. 

He Tian raised an eyebrow, watching Guan Shan half strip. “I’ve always wanted to fight a fire-warrior. I’ve heard so much about your barbaric style.” 

Guan Shan willed himself to stay calm. He wanted to singe the prince, not obliterate him. They squared off a few paces from each other. As a polite courtesy the prince didn’t deserve, Guan Shan didn’t call on his fire before the fight started. He simply stood poised and ready, taut with tension. He Tian was calm as ever. “Let’s make this a little more interesting. If you yield, you have to go with me to the garden party tonight.”

Guan Shan snorted. He didn’t want to play games. “Fine. And when you yield I’m free.” 

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Then how about I never have to see your ugly face again?”

“Deal.” 

The call was given and Guan Shan burst into flames. He Tian was taller and had a better reach, but Guan Shan’s fire would give him an advantage if he could get in close. He moved forward in a flurry and found, to his surprise, that He Tian wasn’t there. A flow of water obscured his vision. He cut through it easily to see that He Tian had side stepped. Guan Shan followed again, breaking through water sprays head first as he would cut through flames lobbed at him in his home practice ring. He Tian simply side stepped and side stepped again. 

It was infuriating. It wasn’t a sparring match so much as it was a push and pull dance. Nothing connected except for harmless sheets of water breaking against Guan Shan’s fire. It felt like He Tian was taking Guan Shan for a leisurely stroll up and down the practice arena. He Tian was trying to tire him out.

“I can do this all day. Stand and fight.” 

He Tian smiled that fake smile “I’ve been waiting for you to bring me a real fight.” 

Guan Shan took a deep breath and lobbed a ball of fire around the sheets of water, forcing He Tian to change his footing. The water prince wanted a fight? He’d get a fight. To hell if he got burned. 

The pace picked up and Guan Shan advanced flinging fire in a flurry that would overwhelm most opponents. Somehow, He Tian still looked cool, his eyes impassive slate grey. Guan Shan closed into the distance that he had wanted from the beginning and arm collided with arm in a wrestling tete-a-tete. He Tian was surprisingly strong but Guan Shan had the upper hand at close range. His fire sent He Tian stumbling and a little fissure in the cold prince’s composure cracked. Guan Shan closed in again for the final blow, knocking aside weak sheets of water. He bore down fire, reaching for the hold that would force He Tian to yield, when suddenly the prince wasn’t there, like so many wisps of smoke. 

Guan Shan whirled in time to see the wall of water come for him and the sick truth with it:  _ He Tian had been holding back the whole time. _

He felt his head snap back with the impact and he fell into the depths of the water surrounding the ring. When he surfaced, He Tian’s smug face was above him. “Cooling off a bit? Looks like I’ve won, my little ram.” Guan Shan cursed and hauled himself out of the water. 

“I was hoping for more of a fight. I guess water does beat fire. I’ll have clothes laid out for you for this evening. I think you really will like the gardens.” 

Steam rose from Guan Shan’s body, drying what he could of his soaked cloaks. He Tian could have easily pulled the water out of the clothes, but he didn’t. 

Guan Shan had to escape this place.

* * *

The garden was nestled in a cliff hamlet overlooking the cold, dark blue ocean. It was pretty if a bit sparse and ordered, not at all like the lush, sprawling gardens back home. And, just as he thought, Guan Shan was a spectacle. Highborn Scorpios asked barbed questions, feigning niceties when the entire time they simmered with distaste. It was clear that everyone in the Scorpio kingdom thought Guan Shan was personally responsible for the merchant ships that had burned to a crisp. It was heinous, forcing an unarmed sailing crew to choose between fire and water. Burn or drown. Death on all sides.

But he hadn’t done it. None of his people had done it. And he hadn’t the slightest clue why He Tian, why all of the Scorpios, were so set on believing that he had any hand in it. Guan Shan looked down over the side of the portico. The waves were so far beneath them they could barely be heard. He was in a quiet corner, eating in as much peace as he could find. 

“Could Aries rams climb these cliffs?” Guan Shan tensed at the deep voice wrapped in silk. Somewhere in those silky folds a dagger hid. 

“We don’t climb cliffs.” 

“You’re not very good at small talk.”

“Why would I need to make small talk with you?”

He Tian smiled and lifted a drink to his lips. “The council meets in a month.” 

Guan Shan didn’t want to be needled again today. “What could I have to gain from burning your damn ships?” 

“I would think that’s obvious.” 

What was obvious was that the House of Aries was poor. It had been a lesser power for several decades now and was on the brink of bankruptcy. In the past, his proud warrior people had turned to plundering to get what they needed and to establish their wealth. But that was a long time ago. And anyways, they had never gone after ships on the treacherous seas. 

“It would burn up. Whatever those ships were carrying, it would burn up or it would fall into the sea. And our lands are nowhere near the coast. That’s a lot of effort for nothing.”

For once, He Tian didn’t have a smart comment waiting. He looked like he was digesting something he didn’t like. 

“Anyways, it doesn’t matter what you think.” 

He Tian blinked from his reverie. “I assure you little ram, it does matter.” 

“Only to you.” And with that, Guan Shan heaved a gulp of air, pushed himself up onto the balustrade, and launched himself over the side. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince against Prince. Guan Shan plays his last card for freedom. He Tian is impressed. But freedom is just out of reach, for now. Enemies to Lovers in a Fantasy AU setting.

The last thing he clearly saw was He Tian’s face, contorted with utter shock. Then the wind ripped away all sound and pricked tears from his eyes. It really was a long way down. Panic settled in fast as he plunged. He willed it down and summed all the fire he could muster, trying to make a ball of engulfing flame to slow the impact. 

It might have worked except Guan Shan hadn’t factored in the wind. At this speed, it ripped away his heat and stopped his flames. Guan Shan let out a small laugh. On the cliffs of Scorpio is where it would end. The ocean was coming up to meet him. 

And then, it was really coming up. A spout rose itself from the sea to meet him. It made no sense but there was no time to think about it. Guan Shan crashed into the water spout and impossibly, it caught him, enveloping him in shockingly cold water. 

The impact knocked the wind from his lungs and sent him tumbling deep, but otherwise, he was alive. He pushed for the surface and realized his second miscalculation. The layers of robes were heavy underwater. They were dragging him down. 

Eyes burning from saltwater, Guan Shan kicked hard, trying to swim to the surface for a breath of air and escape his robes at the same time, when something cut through the water and made for him. He pushed away from the creature, panic rising fast as stories of sea-beasts filled his mind. Fire was no use here. The creature grabbed the back of Guan Shan’s robe and hauled him up towards the surface. 

Guan Shan gasped for air and writhed hard against whatever had him. 

“You fucking  _ jumped off the cliff _ .” 

Guan Shan recognized that deep voice. “He Tian?” 

“What was your plan, you fucking idiot.”

“You jumped after me?” 

He Tian had Guan Shan close and was supporting them both. Guan Shan coughed out water, trying to get the salt from his eyes, his lungs. 

“Hold still and kick off your boots.” He Tian quickly undid the layers of robes weighing Guan Shan down, letting them fall into the depths of the sea, until all that was left was the last, thin layer. He then peeled his own off in a similar fashion. Weighing considerably less, He Tian pulled Guan Shan close and propelled them through the water. 

Held tight against He Tian, Guan Shan realized his third miscalculation. The surf pounded against the cliffs at killing force. The only strip of beach was small and dangerously set. 

He Tian said “We’re going to have to go underwater. Hold your breath.” 

Before Guan Shan could protest He Tian heaved them under the rocking waves. His grip, locked around Guan Shan’s waist, was surprisingly strong. The cold prince felt like iron. With only one arm to work the water, He Tian had to go slow. They resurfaced, Guan Shan sputtering and He Tian eyeing the coast, calculating something. 

“How well can you swim?” He Tian asked.

“Well enough.” 

“Swim hard. I can aid us better with both of my arms.” 

In truth, Guan Shan wasn’t a good swimmer, but he was strong and swallowing half a gallon of seawater wasn’t going to stop him from reaching his goal. Buoyed on a wave made by He Tian, they hurtled towards their goal. The wave washed them onto the shore, both gasping for air and just laying for a moment, looking up at the waning evening light. 

It was only momentary relief. 

Legs weak and shaking, Guan Shan pushed away from the cold prince and the shore. 

“Oh, sit back down, you won’t make it far.”

Guan Shan turned to look at He Tian. “I owe you.”

“Come back with me to the keep.” 

“I don’t owe you that much.” 

He Tian laughed “Of course you’re going to be difficult.” He stood up and positioned himself for a fight. “I never thought you’d jump off a cliff though. What exactly was your plan?”

Guan Shan faced him, calling on his fire. “To swim to shore. I didn’t think you’d jump after me.” 

“You’re lucky I did.”

“I don’t like being in your debt, but I can’t go back with you.” 

He Tian shrugged, “Have it your way.” 

The first time they fought was a spar. This was a fight and Guan Shan wasn’t holding back. Fire was made to burn and He Tian knew it. Water covered him like a second skin and kept him from harm. But it was no use. All Guan Shan had to do was knock him down and he would have the time he needed to run. Pinwheels of fire broke against He Tian’s defenses, pushing him back into the surf. The prince’s face was grim, lit up by passing flames. There was no more push and pull, no arena to dance around. He Tian had the power of the sea behind him but he was pinched, forced to fight in close range and head on. It wasn’t his strong suit.

The prince of Scorpio wavered and wavered again. Here was freedom. One more barrage and he would be knocked down. Guan Shan leveled the blow.

“Stop.” The command rang out at the same time as Guan Shan’s fire was knocked away, diverted by another fire-born. Brother Qui.

And just like that, freedom was gone again. Guards wrenched his hands behind his back and shoved him into the sand.

“Nice of you to join us brother. Would you like to go for a swim?”

Guan Shan said “Qui is your brother?” 

“Not him.” 

Guan Shan followed He Tian’s eyes, turning enough to see the tall imposing man on the slope behind them. A man who, from his foreboding appearance, could be no one but He Cheng: first heir to the Scorpio throne and commander of the guard. 

It was said He Tian wheedled money for the throne through ruthless trade-deals and loans. But his brother held the true power, gifted by their father, the king, with command of all the forces. He had fought in the 12 House war, the war that united the houses under the Zodiac Council. Looking down from the beaches’ ridge, his face outlined in torchlight, he looked weary. 

He Cheng said “You jumped off the cliff.” 

He Tian walked forward, pulling on a cloak that was offered to him and nodding in the direction of Guan Shan. “Technically, our little ram jumped first. I just dove in afterwards so he wouldn’t get himself smashed on the rocks.” 

There were only three guards including brother Qui, but the He brothers were too much to take at once. Once they started walking away from the water, if the He brothers were ahead a few steps– Guan Shan ran the possibilities through his mind, calculating how far he could get. They didn’t have him in chains. But as they wrenched him from the ground, covered in nothing but sand, amber eyes met flat grey. 

He Tian said “Give him something to wear. We can’t drag him back like this.”

He Cheng responded as a guard tossed a cloak to Guan Shan. “We’re to take him before the king.” He Cheng turned his eyes onto Guan Shan for the first time. They were colder somehow, filled with the knowledge of the horrors of war. “Your father, the King of Aries, is on his deathbed.” 

* * *

For a moment, the words didn’t penetrate. They didn’t make sense. His father was aging but he was still strong. There had been no hint of illness when Guan Shan left a fortnight ago. Everything seemed to blur into the background. 

Guan Shan remembered little of the walk back, only coming too when they passed into the keep and made for the throne room. He Tian looked grim. Guan Shan found himself shoved onto ground before the King of Scorpio. 

The He Princes looked like kittens compared to their father. As stone cold as the rest of the family, with the same inky-dark hair and matte eyes, the King sat on an impressive throne. A deep inlet of water sat at his feet, cold and dark as the rest of the keep. 

The king spoke and his voice rang out in a deep commanding baritone. “They say you jumped off the cliff.” 

“I did.”

The king addressed He Tian “I warned you about showing him off. Aries are impulsive. They see what they want and they do it. He’d be better off locked up until the council meeting.” 

“Understood father.” 

Guan Shan felt his heart sink like a stone. They were going to lock him up. He’d be stuck here while his father lay sick and his mother watched over him alone. 

The king said “You’re lucky you saved him and brought him back. A dead prince under our care would have been a political disaster. It’s bad enough half of the court saw him leap. Lock him up but let him send regards to his father. They should at least know he is alive and well. We’re trying to keep from declaring war, not start one.” 

“Yes father.” 

“I put a lot of faith in you, don’t let it be misplaced.” 

* * *

The cell was cold but furnished well enough. Guan Shan was given good food, a chance to bath and fresh clothing. He had seen the message, it was sealed with his father’s sigil and written in his mother’s hand. Holding his own quill Guan Shan was lost for words. What could he say that would help? Nothing. He had nothing. Not here, locked away in the dungeon of a land far from his home, awaiting trial for crimes he hadn’t committed. 

Throughout his week of confinement, he had focused on escape. He had felt, with such confidence, that he would find a way out and be home. It had never occurred to him that he would have to stay here and stand trial. At one time the trial was a minor inconvenience, some distant thing to be tackled at a later date. What proof could they have anyways? He hadn’t burnt their ships, hadn’t been anywhere near their ships. 

But now the trial loomed like a tangible thing. He knew what he had to do to see his father. Guan Shan finished the letter and handed it through the bars of his cell to brother Qui. 

“I have a favor to ask, brother Qui.”

* * *

He Tian came in the early hours of the morning. The guards quietly left and then there he was. He had bathed and his long hair was loose, falling gently to his shoulders. He looked younger in the soft flamelight. 

“Hello little ram. I assume you called me here to state your innocence? I’ve already told you that these are matters for the council to decide.” 

Guan Shan swallowed, steadying himself to follow through. “I’ll confess.” 

He Tian’s eyes went large for a moment, then narrowed. “What happened to the innocence you’ve claimed for so long? Did the fall jog your memory of all the ships you’ve burned?” 

“I’ll confess to whatever you want. Whatever evidence you have, whatever you want me to say to the council, I’ll do it. I’ll do it if you’ll take me to see my father. Please.” 

There was a small silence and then He Tian laughed, a single, clipped noise. “You jump off a cliff to escape, then fight me after I save your life, and now you’re asking for me to, not only let you out, but take you back to your country? Do you take me for an idiot?” 

“I need to be there He Tian. I need to be with my family.” 

Something about that sentence didn’t seem to fit for He Tian. He stood in silence, staring down Guan Shan with his slate grey eyes. “If you confess, you’ll be killed. You’re the last of your line, the throne will pass to someone else.” 

“I know.” 

“And you’d give that up to see your family.” 

“Yes.”

Another silence stretched out between them. Finally He Tian sighed, passing a hand over his face. He looked weary and for the first time Guan Shan noticed his breathing was a little shallow. 

“You’re hurt.” 

He Tian smiled wryly “I seem to have cracked a rib during our little escapade today. Don’t worry your hot head though, the healers say it’ll be better in a week’s time.” 

“I didn’t expect you to jump after me. I am in your debt for that. My confession is all I have to offer you. My kingdom has no riches and no ships to replace the ones you’ve lost.”

“All the same, prince of fire, I’m not the one who gives the word to release you. My father rules here and he wants you safely tucked away until the council date, not running around the country-side heading back to your homelands.”

“I’ll swear to you on whatever you’d like, I won’t break my word.” 

He Tian was already backing away from the cell and with him, Guan Shan’s hopes of seeing his father. 

“Swear as much as you like, I can’t release you.” 

Pulled by some instinct, Guan Shan followed He Tian’s footsteps, walking forward until his arms were outstretched through the bars. “I know you can though. The guards outside my cell aren’t your brother’s or father’s, they’re yours. This idea, to have me here, it was yours, wasn’t it? It was yours and you’re proving something.” Guan Shan let words tumble out unhindered. “Well prove it, He Tian! Prove it with my head on the executioner's block when I confess! Prove it publicly in front of your father and brother and all the council. You’re gambling and if I don’t confess, you might not win.” 

He Tian had stopped, he was listening with a stone cold face. This was a pressure point. 

He Tian said “I have plenty of evidence.” 

“Maybe you do, but I’ve heard what they’re saying. I’m the prince who flew. Uncaged Aries. Fire streaking through the sky at sunset, living through an impossible fall and climbing back out to my freedom.” 

“How poetic. The songs about you will be legendary. They’ll sing them long after you’re dead, which will be in about a month.” 

“He Tian, opinion is swaying, keeping me here is an affront to the council. You could lose and I could go free. Let me see my father and I promise, I’ll confess.”

“I don’t need your promises,” 

“He Tian,”

“You’re guilty,”

“Please,”

“And you’ll stay here.”

The cold prince left and the guards returned. Guan Shan felt as though a flame had gone out.

* * *

Guan Shan passed his days in the darkness of his cell. The only indication of the passing of time were the meals and the guard changes. Three days and he already felt like he was going to lose his mind. 

So it was strange when there were steps and then the guards left. Guan Shan stood from his cot, wary of who would have the power to send the guards away. A pale head of short shorn hair shone in the torchlight.

“Here to lose at cards again?” 

Brother Qui held a scroll in his hand. “Your father has written back. He Cheng sends you his regards.” 

Guan Shan snagged the scroll. There was no change in the news, although he didn’t expect his family would send any sensitive information. “Any news about the council? What are they saying?” 

“I can’t say, Prince Mo.” 

Loyal as ever, brother Qui would stay tight lipped. 

“Thank you for bringing the letter.”

“I’ll be back in an hour to collect your reply. And,” he hesitated, weighing something. “He Tian is He Cheng’s little brother. He doesn’t take well to any danger to the prince. He wanted you in chains.” 

“Well, I can’t break anymore of the prince’s ribs while I’m in here.” 

Qui nodded, “Stay safe Guan Shan.” 

* * *

Footsteps arrived again while Guan Shan was writing his reply letter. He turned to tell Qui he was early but saw it wasn’t Qui approaching, but someone he didn’t recognize. The guards were sent away and this newcomer had a key out. Guan Shan stood, as his cell door was unlocked and a cloaked figure motioned for him to follow quietly. 

“Leave all your things, stay silent and move fast.” 

The cloaked figure handed Guan Shan a hooded cloak and led him out of the cell. This person wasn’t one of his own people, nor was he anyone Guan Shan recognized at all. They hurried down a twisting path deeper into the dungeons where cells were empty and smelled of rot. The cloaked figure stopped at a dead-end and felt along the wall, looking for something. Guan Shan wondered if he should go back, if this was all an elaborate trap. But he was already trapped, what good would it do to free him and then trap him again? 

The figure grunted and there was the sound of metal on stone. He had uncovered a drainage tunnel just big enough to go through while crouched. The figure grabbed a torch off the wall. Light it for me, quickly.” Guan Shan did, then “I’ll lead us through the tunnels. Pull that metal piece back over the entrance once we’re in the tunnel. Let’s go.” 

Guan Shan stepped into the tunnel. The single torch didn’t do much to light the path. Water ran past their feet and rats scuttled out of the way. Guan Shan lit a small fire on the palm of his hand. “Who are you?” 

“No one. Keep your voice down.” There was no one to hear them but Guan Shan kept quiet anyways. He wouldn’t let this chance to be free escape from him. 

They walked on for awhile like that, following the twisting tunnel until it met up with a larger tunnel. The sound of rushing water became louder and with it, something else. Waves and seaful calls. In a few turns they were at the end of the tunnel. Guan Shan realized they were positioned underneath the castle but still overlooking the ocean. It was a steep drop. The cloaked man threw down the torch and produced a long length of rope from his robes. He secured to some grating and threw it over the side. “No jumping this time.” 

Guan Shan grunted “I’ve had enough of that.” 

They shimmied down the rope and dropped to a small ledge on the cliff. The night was clear and full of stars. The ocean stretched out on one side, vast and seemingly still. The ledge sloped down and away from the castle. They followed the cliff-ledge, skirting the perimeter of the city and eventually climbing off the path and onto level ground. A rider and an extra horse waited. The rider tossed a bag of coins to the man that had helped Guan Shan. 

“Get on little ram,” Guan Shan recognized that deep silky voice. “We ride for the land of Aries.”


End file.
